Nail-machine.



F. H.' SLEEPER. l

NAH. MACHINE.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Patented Mar. 14, 1916.

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ERLNK E. SLELPERK? WRGESTER, 'MASSACHUSETT NAL-MACHNE.

Lll75,567.

Speeieation of Letters Patent.

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Application filed November 25, 1912. Serial No. 733,322.

To all 'whom t may concern:

lBe it known that l, FRANK l-l. SLEEPER, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at l'lvorcester, in the county of Worcester' and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful improvement in Nail-Machines.y of which the following is a specilication. accompanied by drawings forming a part of the same. 1

My present invention relates to' that class of nail machines which are employed in the manufacture of wire nails and it has for its objects to simplify the construction., eliminate the noise and lessen the concussion inci` dent to the operation of machines of this class. These objects7 among others, il accomplish by the construction and arrangement of' part-s as hereinafter described, the

novel features being pointed out in the anv neXed claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a side View of a nail machine embodying my present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan View. Fig. 3 is a vertical central longitudinal View on the plane of the broken line 3-3, Fig. 2, omitting a portion of the feeding mechanism. F l is an enlarged detailed View of the revolving nail carrier shown in central sectional view. Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a por" tion of the mechanism 'for actuating the heading dies.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in the different figures.

Referring to the zucompanying drawings, l denotes a horizontal table supported upon legs 2 upon which the operative parts of the machine are mounted. Cast integrally with the table l and connecting opposite yends of the table are ribs 3 and Ll for the purpose of stilfening the framework of the machine and resisting the strains due to the operation of its moving parts. Journaled in suitable bearings beneath the table l and midway between the legs 2. 2 is a main driving shaft 5, provided with tight and. loose pulleys (i and 7 and carrying a balance wheel 8. At the center of the main driving shaft 5 is a crank l), from which the several motions of the nail making nwrhanisin are imparted through a connecting rod l0, as hereinafter described.

Upon the end of the driving shaft opposite the pulleys 6 and T is a second crank il, connected by a link lil with a carriage 18 sliding on ways le and supporting a series 'of wire straightening rolls 4l5. Pivoted at Apresses the wire against a block 2O supported on the carriage 13, and the engagement or" the chisel with the wire causes the wire to o e orawn toward the machine when the carriage 13 moves in the direction of the arrow o. The chisel 1S is beveled upon its rear side to enable it to slide over the wire without engaging it upon the reverse movement of the carriage 13. An intermittent feeding .motion is thereby imparted to the wire, the length of wire fed being determined by the throw of the crank ll. To vary the feed, the connection between the linkl?J and the crank ll is varied to increase or decrease its radial distance from the axis of the crank .in the manner common in crankadjustments of this class.

Als the wire is fed forward toward the nail making machinery, it passes between a block 2l and a chisel 22 larriod in a pivoted bell crank 23 actuated by a spring rlhe chisel is beveled upon its rear side similarly to thejchisel 1S, so that the forward movement of the wire past the chisel will serve to rock the bell crank while Athe engagement of the chisel "22 with the wire prevents 'the withdrawal of the wire upon the reverse motion of the carriage 13,

elournaled in the framework of the machine is a. shaft 25, to which is attached a rotatable nail carrier 2.6 provided with radially extended arms 27. Upon `the nail carrier 26 are pivoted clamping fingers which are crowded against the arms 27 .by means of spiral push springs Q9. rlhe shaft 25 carries at one end-a star wheel 30,{,intermittently drivena partial rotation by a pin 31 carried by a gear 32. Between each movement of the star 'wheel 30 iticis held from rotation by the periphery of a disk 33 attached to the gear 32." .A continuous rotation is imparted to thegear through its geared connection with the main shaft 5.

The driving mechanism for the nail carrier constitutes the well known Geneva stop motion, by which the nail carrier is intermittently rotated a 'partial revolution and is held at rest with one of its arms QT in alinement with the incoming wire as it is projected forward by thefeeding mechanism. The advance movement of the wire Csi Lis

The cuttingr dies 34 and 35 are adjustably I h'ld in a pair of rocking levers 37 and 38 pivoted upon studs 39 and 40. The levers 37 and 38 are connected by links 4l and 4:2 with a block 43 sliding in horizontal Ways on the table i. The sliding block 43 is connected by la link 44 with arocking lever 45 pivoted upon a shaft 46 and also pivotally connected with the connecting rod l0. The.

lever is so. pivoted to the linlr 44 and rod 10 as to form a bell crank lever, which is rocked by the rotation of the crankshaft 5 and through the link 44 imparts a short sliding movement to the block 43. Held in the block 43 and in 'alinenient with one of the arms 2'? of the nail carrier, when the latter is at rest, is a hardened steel nail. header 47, to which a reciprocating movement is given at each rotation of the crank 5. rlfhe link 44 and horizontal arm of the bell Crank lever form a toggle joint mechanism which imparts a squeezing or compressing action, by the nail header 47, upon'the end of the wire, which has been brought by the rotat.

ing carrier into alinement Wthsaid header. Held. in a iXed position above and in front vof the nail carrier 26 is a curved guide piece 48 fidjustably held on the framework by a .bolt 49, by which the curved guide 48 is capable of beingl moved toward or away from the revolving nail carrier. The under, or concave, side 50 of the guide 48 is slightly eccentric to the .axis of the nail carrier 25 so that., each piece of' Wire 5l is carried beneath the guide 48, it will be crowded into the arms 2'?, leaving only a suiicient length projecting beyond the heading dies to enable a head of the proper size to be formed on the projecting end of the Wire. As the nail carrier rotates, each piece of wire held therein is successively carried between a pair of heading dies 52, capable-of sliding horizontally in fixed Ways in the frame- Work of the machine.

.Between the heading dies and the short arms of the tvfo-armcd levers 53 and 54 are short links 55, capable of being adjusted. toward the heading' dies by means of screws 56, 56. The two-armed levers and 54 are pivoted on studs 57 upon which `they are rocked to open the dies` 52 by means ci. springs 58, 58. The levers and o4 are reversed to close the heading dies by means of beveled cheeks 59., 52% on the enter side of the swinging lever #aid eheelis however., of 'a slight downward movement before theb'eveled surfaces 60 and 6l are brought 1n Contact, and they are also capable oi' a continued downward movement after the rocking motion of the levers 53 and 54.

has been completed, during which time the vertical surtace ('32 on the cheek slides over` the vertical surface 63 on the end of the lever.-

This a rrangemcnt-of the contacting surfaces is such as to cause the heading dies to beheld open until the piece of Wire in the nail carrier has passed between them and been brought to ay state of rest, when the levers 53 and 54 are rocked Ato securely clamp the piece of Wire and hold it during the advance movement of the nail header 47. rlhe piece of wire in the nail carrier is pushed in ltoward the center of the nail carrier by the curved guide 48, and only suihcient Wire is left projecting beyond the heading dies 52 to form the head. The reci Jrocating move ment of the nail header 47 is, therefore, eX- ceedingly short, causing a squeezing pressure to be applied to the end of the Wire instead of a sharp blow as is usual in machines of this class.

Attached to some convenient part of the machine is a bar G4 provided with a cam surface 65, which is located inthe path of the clamping fingers 28 and arranged to Contact with the end of the clamping inger nearest the center of the nail carrier as the finger carries the completed nail below the heading dies 52, `thereby opening the .clamping finger, as shown in Fig. 4, and et.

fecting the release of theV nail Vwhich falls from the nail carrier by gravityv into a suitable recepacle.

l am aware that it .is not new to sever 'the i the "wire and 4the intermittent rotation of the .carrier are actuated from a single crank 9. l" claim,

l. ln a machine of combination with a framework, and Wire feeding and cutting andnail heading' mechanisms mounted thereon, of a rotatable .nail carrier provided with radially extended the class described, the l :wins: a clamping linger pivotally supported on enel). ol' sniil :irme and parallel therewith, springe innei'iioewl between smid arms nml 'die inner mule of seid dumping lingers to (nnen line miler ends nl' lnifl :wins and fingern lo grasp lliennils: being ezuiiell, and a, umn supported by *elle fixed ixznneworl: in the mili o1.' tlw, inner ends oi' sind clamping lingers eueveenively to rovi( smid clamping lingers against lle foi-ee of their springs to release the nails ns; tile carrier is rotated.

2. Aln :i nmcliine of the class described, a rotaizibie euri-ier, n nali header Slidable to- `ward and from said carrier, means for imparting en intermittent rotation to Said carrier, and means for moving said nail header toward said carrier with an increasing leverage during the period that the carrier is at rest, comprising :i pair of pivoteil links constituting :i toggle joint mechanism, and means for movingr said links intp longitudinal alinement.

FRANK l'l. SLEEPER.

vWitnesses: v

IENELoi'n Comnnon, Nnnnng: VVHALEN. 

